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Diabetes: Test Your Knowledge

If you have diabetes, taking steps right away to control it will help you avoid complications that may come up later. This multiple-choice quiz will help you with important answers now. It is based on information from the American Diabetes Association, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the CDC.

1. Diabetes happens because of which of these?

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When you have diabetes, your body can't use blood sugar properly. Blood sugar is also called blood glucose

A. Your liver doesn't make enough blood sugar
B. Your muscles use too much blood sugar
C. Your body can't use blood sugar the way it should
D. Your body makes more insulin than it needs

2. Two of the main types of diabetes are type 1 and type 2. How many people with diabetes have type 2?

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Many people with the disease don't know they have it. It most often develops in middle-aged, obese adults, although younger people, even children, can develop it. This is especially true if it runs in the family.

A. 10% to 15%
B. 30% to 35%
C. 45% to 50%
D. More than 90%

3. A certain gland or organ doesn't work right in a person who has type 1 diabetes. Which gland or organ is it?

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The pancreas makes insulin.

A. Pituitary gland
B. Pancreas
C. Adrenal glands
D. Kidneys

4. Why is insulin important for your body to use blood sugar?

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Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas. Insulin circulates in your bloodstream. Insulin unlocks the "cell door," allowing blood sugar to move from the bloodstream into your cells. Your cells use the blood sugar for energy production.

5. Keeping your diabetes under control early on will help you prevent complications that may come up later. People with diabetes are at increased risk of developing which of these?

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People with diabetes are more likely to develop heart disease and nerve damage than people who don't have diabetes.

A. Heart disease
B. Cancer
C. Nerve damage
D. A and C

6. Why are a healthy diet and regular exercise so important if you have diabetes?

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For daily management of diabetes, eating raises your blood sugar and exercising lowers it. Each must be done carefully to balance blood sugar levels. Over the years, a balance between eating and exercise keeps you from gaining weight. Extra weight can make it more difficult to keep your diabetes under control.

A. They keep depression at bay
B. Eating raises blood sugar; exercise lowers it
C. Being overweight can be dangerous for people with diabetes
D. B and C

7. Type 1 diabetes happens when your insulin-producing cells called beta cells in the pancreas are destroyed. What destroys them?

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Your immune system works to fight off infections. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Doctors don't know why this happens. A person's genes are one of many possible factors.

According to the CDC, African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, and some Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders are at particularly high risk for type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in children and teens.

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